A Few Good Men
by Pandora North Star
Summary: how did Graham and Riley get involved in the Initiative? It's a funny story...


Title: A Few Good Men   
  
Author: Pandora North Star   
  
Rating: PG   
  
Spoilers: None!   
  
Notes: I am not making fun of midwestern people. Only Riley and Graham.   
  
Riley exited the house and jumped off the porch. He waved at his friend Graham and trotted over. Graham was holding a large shovel and wearing overalls looking quite the part of the rural farmer's son. "Hey man. What's up." They high fived. Both were 17, about to be 18 and graduating from high school. Having grown up together they wanted to stay together but they were having trouble deciding what to do. Riley wanted to go to college but Graham wanted to join the army. They had to decide soon though.   
  
"Have you heard the new Red Hot Chili Peppers Song? The one about LA?"   
  
"We are going to see them in concert someday." Riley nodded his head. He was getting out of there.   
  
"Hey Riley. Hey Graham!" Susie Beth came at them fast and pulled up in her dad's old pickup truck next to them. They hopped in back with another girl. "Good you brought the shovel."   
  
"These are the times of our lives. Cow tipping on a Saturday night. What are we? Living in Footloose?" Mary Joe laughed shifting Graham's shovel.   
  
"It isn't that bad. If they took a chance at it the rest of the country would like it."   
  
"You're a farm boy if I ever saw one Riley Finn." Susie Beth looked back and winked at him. He smiled. They had been an item for awhile but now that she was going away to New York they decided to quite it. He had no clue where he was going. The car drove off road and into some fields.   
  
They hopped out and climbed over a fence into a grazing pasture. Cows were scattered around sleeping. Graham picked up his shovel and ran across the field. "I bet those city folk don't know what their missing." He looked up to the sky and spun around. "Look at all those stars."   
  
"Last one to tip is a rotten egg!" Riley grabbed Graham's shovel and headed towards a large cow. He turned it around and held it by the brought metal edge. He poked it into the cow and put all his weight against it.   
  
"Why do you insist on doing it that way?" Graham shook his head and shoved into the cow. He made a face as flies buzzed at him but the cow's eyes popped open. It stumbled as the shovel dug into its side but didn't fall over. "Haha!" Mary Joe laughed at them as the one she and Susie Beth were pushing fell over.   
  
"Come on!" Riley grabbed Graham and headed for the nearest cow. They shoved it over and ran for the next one. It soon became a race between them as both teams tried to tip over the most cows. After awhile they all met in the middle laughing hysterically and smelling not very pleasant.   
  
"Did your mom make her pasta salad for the graduation potluck Riley?" Susie Beth asked sitting down in the grass.   
  
"Probably. Doesn't she make it for any occasion?"   
  
"Hey do you hear that?"   
  
"What?"   
  
"I hear it." Graham and Riley stood up together and looked around. It was dark out though and they couldn't see past the cows.   
  
"What do you hear?" Susie Beth stood up nervously and put her hand on Riley's arm. "Is it that kind of weird breathing sound? I mean we're all tired and breathing hard...no you mean that weird shuffling stomping sound."   
  
The thing seemed to rise up from nowhere. It was large and bumpy with hideous red eyes that looked at them hungrily. "Graham get the shovel." Graham stepped back and picked up the shovel. "Girls slowly move backwards. Go to the truck when I tell you too."   
  
"You aren't going to fight it are you? Don't be stupid Riley Finn."   
  
"You got my back Graham?"   
  
"Course man." Riley was a strong young guy. That's what he thought until he tried to punch the thing that decided to attack. It barely touched him. The thing's claws raked at his face and torso. He twisted and ducked staying out of range until one nicked him. "Give me the shovel." Graham nervous to get in the fray handed Riley the shovel. With all his might he swung it like a bat and it bounced off the creature's head. The crack resonated across the field as it screamed in horror and stepped back.   
  
"Girls go to the truck." Graham said. "Let's finish this." Riley swung the shovel again and the creature's knees buckled. Graham kicked it hard in the gut and it fell over still screaming in pain. After a moment the screams subsided into whimpering and then it stopped. They moved closer.   
  
"What is that?" Riley was in shock. He had gone numb while he beat it up but now he was scared.   
  
"Whoever said the boogey man wasn't real..." Graham started. "Makes me wonder what else is out there."   
  
"You there!" They looked up. Ready to sprint if it was the farmer. But it was a man decked out in camouflage. He was holding a large gun over his shoulder. "Stay there." Riley looked back to the girls in the car. They weren't even paying attention.   
  
"Did you bring down the HST?"   
  
"The what? What is that thing?"   
  
"Hostile Sub Terrestrial." The guy said bending down to the creature.   
  
"Good job. This guy took out one of my men last night. How did you stop it?"   
  
"Shovel." Riley shrugged. "So what's a Hostile Sub Terrestrial? Are there more of these out there?"   
  
"In other words it's a monster." The guy looked at them thoughtfully. "How old are you?"   
  
"17. We're graduating." Graham said.   
  
"Where are you going next year."   
  
"I don't know. Why?" Riley crossed his arms.   
  
"We need men. I'm on a special government task force that catches and experiments with HST's. You're just the kind of guys we need." It didn't seem like much. He wasn't very eager but then he said something that caught their ears. "Your tuition is paid in full to the college we pick. Our headquarters are at UC at Sunnydale. We're a beginning organization and we need a few good men." Graham and Riley looked at each other. Their parents were far from rich. It would help a whole lot. And it had been interesting killing that HST. Riley fingered the rip in his shirt, the blood was already congealing.   
  
"Where do we sign?" He grinned. If Susie Beth could leave that place he sure as hell could too. "You in?"   
  
"I'm in."   
  
"I'm Forrest. Let me call this in." 


End file.
